Senior Travel and Work in Dunedin and Greater Tampa Bay
Best Places to Retire With a Golf Cart
Money Magazine named Dunedin, Florida one of the best places to retire in the USA and they have listed the city as such from 2010 to the present. Other recommended favorites include nearby Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg; but Dunedin has some fun transportation options that some other retirement cities lack.
Transportation changed for the good in Dunedin during Summer 2011, when golf carts became street legal.
These electric carts make an excellent, sustainable form of alternative transportation for those who no longer drive a car but can handle a cart.
Children can't drive golf carts legally on the streets in this town, but only on specially designated paths, and the carts must be registered and kept on permitted streets. Adults can drive the carts on the streets.
The Jolley Trolley - Fun and Reduced Rates
This trolley travels to Clearwater's well known Pier 60 Sunset Festivals nightly and for free movies every Friday and Saturday. Bring a chair and enjoy the tasty concessions!
In addition, Dunedin sponsors the Jolley Trolley that runs from Dunedin conveniently to Clearwater Beach, Palm Harbor, and Tarpon Springs every Friday through Sunday.
This brings back memories of a simpler time in which residents rode the trolley cars of towns and cities in America to the trolley parks at the end of the line for band performances and picnics.
The Jolley Trolley runs from Dunedin to Clearwater every 30 minutes from 10:00 AM to the 11:30 PM last stop on its scheduled days. From Friday through Sunday, it runs to Downtown Clearwater and the other cities mentioned. The two routes are both run on Sundays.
Jolley Trolley Cities
More Dunedin "Bests"
Dunedin is one of the oldest communities on the Gulf Coast of Florida. While not a huge metropolis, this city offers a variety of attractive goods, services, transportation options, and housing choices for people of any age. Families, singles, and adult seniors love this town.
The cost of living here is reported as below the national average by a full 5.9%, which makes the city more affordable overall. Sales Tax is 7% and there is no city income tax.
Sperling's Best Places rates Dunedin within the Top 50 Romantic Places for Boomers and State Farm Insurance rates the city as the Number Three Most Fiscally Fit City (along with the Greater Tampa Bay Area) on its Top 50 list.
A Sample of Best Attractions
- Dunedin Fine Art Center - Welcome!
Art Exhibitions and Classes - Children's Hands-On Art Museum - Gift Shop and Cafe', in Dunedin (Tampa Bay), Florida
- Dunedin Golf Club
The Caladesi Island Ferry runs to and from Honeymoon Island every half-hour beginning at 10:00 AM daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
- Honeymoon Island Park. Once known as Hog Island, this place offers many events and recreation options that include Trick or Treat, Scary Trail, child oriented games, and special family activities observed on the last weekend of October each year. Located just north of Caladesi Island.
- Dunedin Highland Games and Festival - Named after Gaelic traditions, Dunedin hosts an annual Highlander games with traditional events and foods.
- Hammock Park is a beautiful natural setting that houses a large Butterfly Garden.
- Pinellas County Florida Botanical Gardens are beautiful, fragrant, and relaxing; and the local County Trail System is called the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, with 39 miles of safe pathways though the county.
- Westfield Countryside Mall - Just east of Dunedin at 27001 US Highway 19 North, Clearwater FL 33761. Several major department stores act as anchors - from Dillard's to Whole Foods - and an ice rink is offered in the center of the mall. Unique additions are a play space for the kids and a family lounge with relaxation areas and even TV. Special events keep a trip to the mall interesting for people of all ages.
Special Senior Activities
Medical Services
Local Hospitals and Medical Centers
- BayCare Alliant Hospital - Dunedin
- Largo Medical Center - Largo, southwest of Dunedin
- Mease Countryside Hospital - Morton Plant Mease in Safety Harbor, east of Dunedin
- Town and Country Hospital - Tampa
Animal Hospitals
Sports and Education
Local Sports
- Toronto Blue Jays - Spring Training at Dunedin Florida Auto Exchange Stadium
- Dunedin Blue Jays - Minor League Baseball - Florida State League (FSL)
- Dunedin Highland Games - Celebrated during Scottish Events Week each summer (see link above)
Higher Education and Training
The choices of post-secondary school in the Dunedin area is good and these facilities are part of the arts and cultural scenes with their own museums, galleries, and performance arts.
- Clearwater Christian College
- Central Florida Institute - Palm Harbor -- Offers training in important Medical technologies
- DeVry University - Tampa
- Dunedin Fine Art Center
- Florida Career College - Tampa
- Sanford-Brown Institute - Tampa
- Schiller International University - Dunedin
- Strayer University - Tampa
- Trinity College - Dunedin/Port Richey
- Ultimate Medical Academy - Clearwater and Tampa
- Zion Christian University - Clearwater
Business Increases and Postings
Business and Job Market
The Greater Tampa Bay Area that includes Dunedin and other smaller towns is one in which a range of jobs are available, many of them well paying.
This type of job market makes Dunedin a good place for any age to settle and make a home. Retirees that want to continue working can find employment here.
Spotlight on New Jobs
Emerging jobs in Aviation and Aerospace Operations advertised include.
- Manned Airship Pilots
- Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) Pilots
Best company for these jobs:
- MAV6, LLC; a Defense Contractor and Aerospace Company.
Best product produced by MAV6
- Blue Devil Airship: USAF Surveillance Blimp
The United States Air Force announced in October 2011 that it was testing its Blue Devil 2 airship (blimp) for deployment to Afghanistan in 2012. Developed by MAV6, LLC the airship is designed to use surveillance items that include wide-area cameras capable of scanning 36 miles2 of landscape at a time.
The prototype blimp was inflated with helium and stored in Elizabeth City, NC by MAV6, LLC and further developed. The Blue Devil 2 is 370 feet long, with a volume of 1.4 million feet3.
The need for pilots in the manned and unmanned program is growing.
Top Hiring Companies for Adults of All Ages
The top companies hiring in the Dunedin area involve Engineering and Aerospace Technologies as well as other technological pursuits:
- Lockheed Martin: A big partner in the NASA Commercial Crew.
- Deloitte
- Jabil
- General Dynamics: Member of Commercial Crew.
- Kelly Engineering Resources
- PDS Technical Services
- Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC): Member of Commercial Crew.
- SAIC; Member of Commercial Crew.
- BAE Systems: Member of Commercial Crew.
- Nielsen Company
- Honeywell: Member of Commercial Crew.
- General Electric: Member of Commercial Crew.
Jobs Posting Most Vacancies
- Registered Nurses (RNs)
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists and Assistants
- Customer Service Representatives
- CNAs - Certified Nurse Assistants
- Salespeople
- Assistant Managers
- Nursing Staff- LPNs, LVNs, CNAs, other
- Speech Therapists
- Project Managers - IT
- Account Executives
- Business Analysts
Engineering Jobs in High Demand
- Software and Sr. Software Engineers and Developers
- Systems and Network Engineers
- Tech Analyst-Systems Architects
- Project Engineers
- Engineering Technicians
- Automation Engineers
- Remedy Report Administrators
- Q& A Engineers
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2011 Patty Inglish MS
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Comments
- AUTHOR
Hello, hello - I'm glad you enjoy reading them and looking at teh scenerey. If you every come over to USA, you will feel a little more at home then, hopefully.
Maren - Yes, I think that's a reason so many Ohions retire to Florida cities.
stepheniedas - I agree - the W. Coast of Florida is improving and developing in lots of ways. Let us know what you think!
maui-cat-hawaii - Thanks!
samsons1 - Maybe you should visit first, but Florida looks better to me every day!
As you know I am only here to admire the beautiful country side and learn more about it. Thank you done an excellent job of both.
Very well written and enticing article. This makes me want to sell out here and move to Dunedin. Thanks so much for this pleasant read...
great hab!
I've been hearing that the west coast of Florida is such a great place for quite a while now. After reading this, I'm seriously considering taking up residence there. Maybe I'll move down for the winter to try it out.
No city or state income tax? Absolutely attractive!
- AUTHOR
Seems there's no city or state income tax. That's a good draw to resettle.
Lovely Hub Patty; makes me want to move there! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful spot! Blessings Always, Earth Angel! P.S. Did you mean no "state" income tax under Dunedin's best?
Nice hub Patty. No one should have any questions to ask after reading this today...or whenever. I love florida. I happen to live in South Florida (Hollywood) and I love it. I wrote a hub about my city of Hollywood Florida sometime ago inviting people to come for a visit.
I'm familiar with the name Dunedin because of the Blue Jays. I haven't watched a lot of baseball since the players who were playing before the 1994 strike retired from the game, but I used to watch it a lot.
Patty, you've put together an excellent hub about this area.
One of the great benefits of living in the area is the easy access to the Tampa Bay metro cities and communities, beaches, parks, etc. Dunedin is one of my favorite places to eat and window shop on the quaint cobblestone streets in the downtown area.
It's within minutes of the Dunedin causeway and two of the best beaches in the US, Honeymoon Island and Caledesi State Park. They are beautiful, serene beaches.
Great work on the research required for this informative hub!
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